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Pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. The first pies were made by early Romans who may have learned about it through the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in "reeds" which were used for the sole purpose of holding the filling and not for eating with the filling.

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It's Pie Week on Morning Edition, and we wanted to know more about where pie comes from. Linda Wertheimer talks to food anthropologist Deborah Duchon about the history of pie.

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Welcome to day two of Pie Week here on MORNING EDITION. We wanted to know more about where pie comes from. So we consulted a nutritional anthropologist who explores the origins of all things edible. Deborah Duchon joined us from Atlanta.

Tell us a bit about the very first pies.

DEBORAH DUCHON: Pies are really an ancient food. The first pies were really more like the kind of handheld pies you get in a carnival today, and they were savory. So it was a bit of dough wrapped around a bit of meat or vegetables, and then cooked. It was even a form of preservation, because the food that was cooked into the roll was bacteria-free, and it would stay so for a few days.

WERTHEIMER: Now, what are we talking about here? I mean, what's the timeframe we're talking about?

DUCHON: We're talking about, really, before there was even writing, shortly after wheat and rye were domesticated and people could start making bread. So, even the ancient Greeks had pastry chefs.

WERTHEIMER: Now, when did pie begin to evolve into the sweet treat that it is today? What was the beginning of the pie as we know it?

DUCHON: There's no written record of that, but the first written pie recipe is dated 1303. The apple pie, as we know it today, was really much perfected in England by the 1400s. We're eating pretty much the same pie now as they were eating then.

WERTHEIMER: Now, let's talk about pie in the New World. American pies, it seems to me, are sweeter than desserts almost anywhere else in the world. Why'd that happen?

DUCHON: Well, a lot of that happened because of Prohibition. For many years, Americans ate mainly meat and booze. We were big drinkers. And Prohibition really put a stop to that. And a lot of the companies that had made their living making liquor and beer started making what they called soft drinks, as opposed to hard drinks. And, of course, those are the sugary beverages that we eat so much today. And also around the same time, people just turned to sweets as a way to put off how much they missed liquor. So people got used to eating sweet things.

WERTHEIMER: Do you know where the expression four and 20 blackbirds baked into a pie - I remember when I used to hear that as a little kid. I kept thinking about feathers.

(LAUGHTER)

DUCHON: Actually, I found a recipe for that kind of thing. It's dated from 1598. In those years, there was actually a course in, like, state banquets, very important banquets, called the entremets.

WERTHEIMER: That means between something, right?

DUCHON: Between plates. Exactly. Diners had to wait a long time between courses, and so chefs came up with ways to entertain the guests. And one of the things they would do is they would bake an empty pie crust, fill it with flour so it would hold its shape, and then they'd put a hole in the bottom and pull out the flour and put in birds so that the chef could bring this big pie out and open the crust, and the birds would fly out.

WERTHEIMER: I wonder about other pies. Have we, in this country, done much for the idea of pie?

DUCHON: Well, I think so. There are variations on pies that are very American, like the Apple Betty and cobblers and flumps and grunts. Those are all variations on pies that were developed by pioneers who didn't have the equipment that they needed - the right kind of pan, the right kind of oven. So those are all American-style variations.

WERTHEIMER: I think everybody knows what a cobbler is. What is a slump? What is a grunt?

(LAUGHTER)

DUCHON: A grunt is something that you basically cook all the ingredients on a stove, and the crust is actually more like a dumpling. And when it is cooking, it makes a grunting sound. It kind of goes uh, uh, uh, uh on top of the stove.

(LAUGHTER)

WERTHEIMER: Big bubbles coming up through the...

DUCHON: That's exactly.

WERTHEIMER: ...through the pastry?

DUCHON: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

WERTHEIMER: Deborah Duchon is a nutritional anthropologist. She joined us from member station WABE in Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you very much for coming in.

DUCHON: Well, thank you. It's been a pleasure.

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Before There Was Writing, There Were Pies

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It's Pie Week on Morning Edition, and we wanted to know more about where pie comes from. Linda Wertheimer talks to food anthropologist Deborah Duchon about the history of pie. LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST: Welcome to day two of Pie Week here on MORNING EDITION. We wanted to know more about where pie comes from.

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Happy National Pie Day! Today is the day to celebrate all things pie, as opposed to Pi Day, in March, which celebrates the mathematical constant, which is celebrated in March. Although to be fair, we break out pie that day too.

Pie is thought of as a traditional American dessert, but it actually has roots that date back to ancient Egypt. Since then, pie has spread throughout the world, where it's taken sweet and savory turns. Celebrate Pie Day with one (or all!) of these seven pies from around the world:

Bobotie Pie from South Africa

Fun to say, fun to eat! Bobotie pie, the South African national dish, is a savory meat pie made with minced meat, dried fruit or chutney, and curry with either a custard or pastry topping. The dish originated with slaves from Malay who were brought to South Africa. The dish changed with the influence of different cultures - Dutch colonizers added dried fruit for sweetness and Indian immigrants added curry powder. Try this recipe to try bobotie at home.

Buko Pie from the Philippines

Similar to coconut cream pie, buko pie is made from young coconuts and sweetened condensed milk, minus the meringue topping. It was created by a Filipino woman who came back home from America and tried to recreate apple pie she enjoyed in The States with the ingredients she had available.

Coulibiac from Russia

This savory Russian pie is filled with fish, usually salmon or sturgeon, grains, hard boiled eggs, onions, mushrooms and dill. Upper class versions of the dish are made with unusual ingredients, like sturgeon spinal marrow. Try this recipe for salmon coulibiac, sans fish spinal marrow.

Erdbeerkuchen from Germany

No clue how to pronounce this, so we'll stick with it's English name - strawberry pie! German strawberry pie is closer to strawberry shortcake, with it's fluffy, shortbread like cake crust. It's topped with whipped cream and strawberries doused in a gelatin glaze.

Torta Della Nonna from Italy

Translated to "Grandmother's Cake," this Tuscan pie is filled with a lemony custard and topped with pine nuts. Some recipes use ricotta cheese in the filling as well. Try it at home with this recipe.

Spanakopita from Greece

This vegetarian phyllo pie is filled with a mixture of spinach, onions, feta cheese, and scallions. It may be served as a large pie or wrapped into individual triangles. Make this version at home.

Apple Pie from England

That's right! Apple pie = not American. It was actually brought to the Americas by English settlers. Other versions are popular throughout Europe, such as the French tarte tatin, an upside down apple pie, and Swedish apple pie, which is made with oats and breadcrumbs and closer to a crumble. British apple pie is generally made without cinnamon and served with cream or custard instead of ice cream.

Share your favorite pie recipes in the comments section, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, Plated, to unlock a coupon to use on your next Luvo purchase.

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Happy National Pie Day! Today is the day to celebrate all things pie, as opposed to Pi Day, in March, which celebrates the mathematical constant, which is celebrated in March. Although to be fair, we break out pie that day too.

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Food & Hunger
It goes way, way beyond apple.

Any way you slice it, the diameter of a pie has something delicious to do with the number 3.14 (the number, which goes on ad infinitum, is actually the ratio of a circle's diameter to its circumference 🤓).

That means that on March 14 (3/14) of every year, the world has an excuse to celebrate Pi Day by eating pie, making pi one of Global Citizen's favorite mathematical concepts.

To celebrate, we're checking out pies from around the world, from America's own apple pie to the United Kingdom's array of meat pies and the various filled pastry crusts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Carribbean. If you're going to have 3.14 slices of pie today, you might as well make it a global feast.

USA: Apple Pie

Philippines: Buko Pie

Greece: Spanakopita

Morocco: Bisteeya

South Africa: Beef Pies

Argentina: Empanadas

Italy: Pizza Pie

United Kingdom: Pork Pies

Bolivia: Salteñas

Italy: Easter Pie

England: Cornish Pasty

Norway: Fyrstekake pie

Ireland: Shepherd's Pie

Jamaica: Beef Patties

France: Quiche

Spain: Tortilla

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16 Pies from Around the World to Help Eat Your Way Through Pi Day

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Food & Hunger Any way you slice it, the diameter of a pie has something delicious to do with the number 3.14 (the number, which goes on ad infinitum, is actually the ratio of a circle's diameter to its circumference 🤓).

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We all know how great dessert pies are, but what about their savory equivalent? They're an entire multi-course meal in one convenient place, and there are so many great ways to enjoy them. If you like fish, fill your savory pie with sardines or crawfish. If you prefer meat, there's beef, pork, and chicken (and one that combines all three), and there are even some with just vegetables. There's a savory pie for every taste; check out our favorites here.

B'stilla, a North African meat pie, is traditionally made with poultry. Cookbook author Suzanne Zeidy's take includes veal and caramelized pearl onions. When ordering the veal for this recipe, have your butcher remove the bone. Get the recipe "

Give this comfort food staple the best of both worlds by topping a rich chicken stew with mashed potatoes and puff pastry.

In his version of Chilean empanadas, chef Rodolfo Guzmán of Boragó replaces lean ground chuck with rich beef short ribs, which make each bite tender. Get the recipe for Beef Short Ribs Empanadas "

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We all know how great dessert pies are, but what about their savory equivalent? They're an entire multi-course meal in one convenient place, and there are so many great ways to enjoy them. If you like fish, fill your savory pie with sardines or crawfish.

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People all around the world are busy digging into pie, and we're not talking coconut cream. Unlike the classic diner dessert, many of the world's pies lean savory, filling tender pastry crusts with all manner of seasoned proteins. Whether you're taking in a match of Australian football, catching some rays in Montego Bay or strolling the streets of Bogotá, it's time to go around the world in eight meat pies.

This British classic has kept the working class going strong since the Victorian days. Typically made with a short crust or a suet pastry, these savory pies are accompanied by a scoop or two of creamy mashed potatoes and a splash of bright-green parsley liquor.

Quebec's preferred meat-stuffed crust is open to all sorts of regional protein variations. In Montreal, it's filled with finely ground pork flavored with warm spices and eaten with maple syrup (read: Canada), while closer to the sea, chefs might opt for locally caught salmon.

③ Colombian Empanadas

Colombia's preferred mobile snack comes in the form of vibrant yellow half moons of cornmeal dough. Inside, you'll find ground beef and cubes of tender potatoes flavored with onion, garlic and cilantro. These are best when paired with ají, a hot sauce made with chiles, scallions and lime juice.

All across Russia and the Baltics, puffy, yeasted buns act as a blank canvas for an array of hearty stuffings like braised cabbage flecked with dill, ground beef mixed with onion and hard-boiled egg, or foraged mushrooms.

The unofficial national dish Down Under, this pastry is a must-eat when attending an Aussie football match. The traditional filling is beef simmered in a gravy, and no pie-eating experience is complete without a healthy squirt of tomato sauce, an Australian condiment that's essentially ketchup without the vinegar.

This turmeric-tinged street snack is a remnant from when the British first colonized the Caribbean. A sunnier iteration of the Cornish pasty, it takes full advantage of the island's flourishing spices by boosting the beef filling with allspice, thyme and Scotch bonnet chile for heat.

One of China's most-loved street foods falls somewhere between an oversize pot sticker and a pie. This beef-stuffed bread hails from the northern regions of the country and works green onions, ginger and oyster sauce into the mix before being panfried to a crisp.

Chile's take on the empanada brings together sweet and salty flavors. Beginning with finely chopped (but never ground) beef, the interior of the crimped empanada is then studded with black olives, roughly chopped egg and sweet raisins.

Caroline Coral is a food and travel writer who splits her time between Philadelphia and the Caribbean. Follow her on Instagram at @caroline.f.coral .

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These Savory Pies Are the Best the World Has to Offer

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People all around the world are busy digging into pie, and we're not talking coconut cream. Unlike the classic diner dessert, many of the world's pies lean savory, filling tender pastry crusts with all manner of seasoned proteins.

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Most of us know the saying "as American as apple pie," right? It's an old classic but, unfortunately, also completely inaccurate. Apple pies actually come from England, and even then that's really just another take on the German apple strudel, which dates all the way back to the later 17th century.
Click Here to see the Complete List of 10 Delicious Pies From Around the World
The point is that pies are such a versatile dish that they're eaten in many cultures and assume many forms. Though the apple pie comes from England (or Germany) it has been adopted and changed by the U.S. to the point where it's now an American classic dish. So too with meat pies -- though they were first eaten in medieval Europe they are now a staple classic in Australia and New Zealand (think a small handheld Aussie meat-pie eaten with ketchup). No matter where you are in the world that culture probably has its own pie creation that reflects the people and their tastes and history.

Regardless of what kind of pie you're eating, the pastry treat itself has a very long and practical history: when people first began cooking food in ovens there was little to protect the meat (and other ingredients) from the searing heat (there's was no temperature dial on the world's first ovens, believe it or not). As a result the juices would fizzle out and everything would burn rather quickly.

As a solution the bready dough was used to protect the meat from the fire and heat while it cooked, with a surprise result: the dough absorbed the juices of the meat as it cooked making the entire case and filling a dish in itself. And so we have the first pie. Since then pies have become a lot more complex taking on many different forms and decadent fillings.

There's a lot of debate around the actual definition of the of the word "pie." Pie-purists insist that the dish needs to be encased in pastry to deserve the name, but that excludes the good old English Cottage Pie. Other says it just needs to be baked in some kind of a pie-like dish... after all, at one point in history everything baked in pie crust. But that would exclude key-lime pie and coconut cream pie.

The truth is there is really no firm definition of what makes a pie... the general consensus is that it should either be baked in a pie dish or have (at least) a base made of pastry. Fruit or meat, cheese or chocolate, filo or shortcrust -- read on to find out what pies creations people are eating around the world.
Click Here to see the original story on The Daily Meal More Content from The Daily Meal: 10 Classic All-American Pie Recipes 8 Amazing Desserts Around the World You've Never Heard Of Around the World in 9 Frozen Yogurt Flavors

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Must-Try Delicious Pies From Around The World

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Most of us know the saying "as American as apple pie," right? It's an old classic but, unfortunately, also completely inaccurate. Apple pies actually come from England, and even then that's really just another take on the German apple strudel, which dates all the way back to the later 17th century.

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According to Pinterest, and in celebration of National Pi Day, these are the best places to get pie in the world. Read on for details.